Barry Sherman, director of the Peabody Awards program at the University of Georgia, died Tuesday, May 2, at Athens Regional Medical Center in Georgia after collapsing while playing basketball. He was 47.
Sherman, also a telecommunications professor, oversaw the Peabody Awards, which have annually recognized outstanding achievement in broadcast and cable since 1991. He considered the position a "sacred trust," according to a University of Georgia statement.
After teaching journalism history at Western Michigan University and Penn State University, Sherman joined the UGA's Grady College in 1981, drawn there by the Peabody Archives. He is credited for starting a fund-raising campaign to create an endowment for the Peabody program.
UGA President Michael F. Adams said in a statement that Sherman directed the Peabody program "with dignity and distinction. He possessed a unique ability to work well with academia, the entertainment community and a host of administrative details. It's very difficult to think about the Peabody Awards without Barry Sherman." This year's awards luncheon will be held May 22 in New York.
Sherman leaves behind his wife, Candice; two children; his father; a brother; and two sisters.
His family has set up a memorial fund to send student judges of the Peabody Awards to New York for the awards ceremony. Contributions should be made out to the University of Georgia Foundation and can be sent to Bill Herringdine, c/o the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602.
